Circling back when you don’t need anything is a chance to stand out. Take it.

Once you have an offer, reach out to everyone you met. It’s a bad habit to reach out only when you need something. A quick email suffices and goes a long way. In large part because this is something most people never do.

Before I became JobCoachAmy officially, I helped anyone that reached out- literally scores of people interested in consulting, banking, publishing or business school. But I can count on one hand the number of people who later let me know where they landed, or thanked me for my time.

Has this series helped you? Let me know!

One of the many job search secrets that no one will tell you about! How do I know all of this? Because I've been a hiring manager for over 20 years. Follow along all month as I share more insider tips to help you succeed in your search!

HR time goes by at a way faster pace than Job Seeker time. And Hiring Manager time sprints at a rate that is even faster. It’s not that they are not empathetic to what you are going through. It’s just that filling the role is one of 54 priorities for HR and 108 priorities for the Hiring Manager. Getting a job is your main goal. Filling the job you want can go on and off the front burner.

As much as you may be needed on the team, finalizing the details of getting everyone’s opinions and getting an offer together is still outside the boundaries of what HAS to be done in a day’s work to keep things running. Hiring someone is an expensive and important decision and making the wrong one can have significant negative consequences so the trigger doesn’t get pulled without a great deal of thought.

Sometimes, not hearing anything for a while is a bad sign. Sometimes, it just means they haven't had a chance to talk about you or the other candidates. Generally, if a week or two goes by it's ok to send an email and ask what's going on.

It’s ok to bring a list in with you. Here are some areas that are always appropriate:

What are the goals of the: role, team, organization?

Who would be my: internal clients, team?

What would the success metrics of my: work, role, team, manager?

What would a typical day look like?

What skills would be required of me on a daily basis? Project basis?

What would be the best traits for success in this role?

One question that is always appreciated:

How could I best support you in this role? The hiring manager? The internal team? The client?

One question that always goes over well:

How did you get started? (Or anything to get the interviewer to talk about his / her self)

Make your list up the night before. Use the organization's website for ideas but focus more on the job description. You want to know the organization's customer, market and competition. You don't want to ask about your career path, or what the company has to offer YOU until you have a written offer.

One of the many job search secrets that no one will tell you about! How do I know all of this? Because I've been a hiring manager for over 20 years. Follow along all month as I share more insider tips to help you succeed in your search!

1. Jobs are often posted for a short time for legal reasons even though the hiring manager already has a candidate in mind or an internal promotion. Resumes submitted for these jobs are discarded or “kept on file” but not usually acknowledged.

2. Submitted resumes are batch processed, segmented into “review further,” “keep for another role” or even “show to Mary as they went to the same school.” Rarely are a group of resumes sorted out as “NO” at one single time, which makes it difficult for any one individual to be assigned accountability for notifying candidates that they are no longer being considered. Sadly, even if you call in to find out what happened, there may not be a single individual who knows where exactly you landed in the process or why.

You can still make a call and you may get a real answer- its worth the effort. You are certainly owed an answer on the grounds of common humanity, it's worth reminding a busy human resources office of that.

There is only one reason to stop applying for jobs: you have a signed offer for one that you want.

Here are some times to absolutely NOT stop applying for jobs.

“I applied for one and I want to be sure I’m available if they call me for an interview.”

Are you kidding me? The likelihood of getting one interview from one application is pretty low. The likelihood of getting more than one interview at exactly the same time, with no flexibility is, precisely, null.

“I had a really good interview and I’m pretty sure its going to come through.”

No, no, no, no, no. This is an easy trap but a bad one. You never know what is going to happen until it happens. The road to a signed offer can end even AFTER a verbal offer has been presented.

You never know. Its not over till its over. Never give up. Stuff happens.

Don’t be shy about letting your interviewers know you want the job. Here’s the way final hiring decisions are often made:

A meeting happens where all the interviewers discuss the candidates. The hiring manager asks the team what they think and who would be the best fit for the group. Some comments are made and if there is not one clear winner, then there is usually some kind of discussion that sounds like this:

“Well, if these two people seem to be about the same level of ability and fit- but this one wants it more then that's who we'll hire.”

The job always goes to the person who wants it more. Be enthusiastic in your interview- not in the thank you note you write afterwards. By the time the note arrives, the decision has been made.

You can prove you want the job through careful preparation, informed questions and body language. Also remember it doesn't hurt to actually say that you want the job! Interviewers want to assume you really want the role or you wouldn't be wasting their time. Make it easy for them, and confirm it out loud.

Your prepared questions are great, but your spontaneous questions will be better. Stay engaged with what the interviewer is saying. Some of it will resonate with your research- mention how. Some of it will just plain make you curious. Don't be shy.

If you don’t think it’s appropriate to interrupt, go back to a point in the conversation when there is a break.

If the discussion shifts from a back and forth to a real conversation and exchange of ideas, the interview is bound to be a success.

Curious, intelligent, easy to talk to: three impressions you would like to leave with an interviewer. The best way to achieve this is to ask the questions your interview genuinely inspires.

Saying way too much, for way too long and sharing way more than necessary.

The biggest pitfall to stumble into in an interview is talking too much. When nervous, most people ramble on…and on. Eventually they talk themselves into a corner and wind up exactly where they didn’t want to be: the job where they got laid off, the manager that didn’t like them, and the course they almost didn’t pass.

Avoid the trap by being concise. Answer the question. Smile. Ask a question, or wait for another one. If the interviewer wants to know more, (s)he’ll ask. Silence isn’t a bad thing in an interview. Going off topic can be.